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Extending the Charm

One admirer's perspective
On petticoats, crinolines, hoops and farthingales

By Tes Staylace
Copyright 1998

Part Two of Two Parts
Subscribers can catch up with Part One


Remember! We alternate between "Petticoat Pond" and "Tightlacing Topics" (my URL for corsetry is http://www.staylace.com Feel free to write me at staylace@staylace.com! All e-mail will be answered.

Wide skirts, whether in the form of hoops, crinolines, farthingales or voluminous petticoats alone, are a direct barometer of the times. Skirts become paltry during times of war and unrest, not only because of the scarcity of material, but of the mood of the women, preoccupied with thinking about their men who are away, busying themselves in their support. No time for encumbrances. Witness the American Civil War: The bell-shaped Southern Belle lost her "pouf" for the interim. However, after almost every such period, there comes about a widening of the skirt. Recent examples include World War II (Dior), the Korean conflict (teenage rock-and-roll skirts and cocktail dress crinolines), and the Vietnam conflict (bouffant evening dresses and gowns). Now that the Cold War is over, we see pouf returning, even if only as a choice.

Ever wonder what became of the large mass of excess lacing which resulted from tight lacing corsets in times gone by? Well, many times, it was simply drawn through the eyelet which formed at the waistband of the petticoat where it fastened in the rear. There, this "ball of laces" provided a pleasant upswing of the silhouette at the rear, especially in times when bustles were not in vogue.

The crinoline hoop (horsehair over a rigid frame) was an innovation born of the fact that as many as seventy pounds of heavy petticoats were worn at one time to keep nineteenth century lades’ skirts propped. The hoop did, indeed, alleviate milady of such weight, but offered the disadvantages mentioned elsewhere in this piece. Soon, however, concern began to emerge concerning the untidy look of the "hoopline" under the skirt – the outline of the hoop structure clearly seen from without. In response, many women began to wear one or two or even three petticoats OVER their crinoline cages to soften or eliminate these hooplines. Back to square one! This added weight again, and reduced the effectiveness of the cage in reducing such.

One might think that "hooplines" were only a consideration during the last century; that this was not a subject of discussion in modern history. The fact is, there was a short time in The Fifties when hoops were the rage, worn over crinolines…and more crinolines. However, the term "crinoline" in the Eisenhower era, was differently defined. During this period, the term referred to a knee-length petticoat, usually made of stiff netting or some other such material (even though horsehair was not unknown). In Europe, any skirt propped up by a crinoline was known as a "rock-n-roll" skirt, and the petticoat underneath was a "can-can slip." Generally, a crinoline was never known by anything else but it’s nineteenth century definition in parts of the world outside of the United States.

History does repeats itself! It was considered improper amongst the teen-agers who boosted this fad to allow the lines of the hoops under their skirts to be seen. To eliminate these lines, they wore crinolines OVER the hoops, making the silhouette even wider! This, of course, almost guaranteed that an observer would be treated to some wonderful glimpses of underskirt. This writer once beheld such a sight….and it will remain embedded in mind forever, as an example of delightful overindulgence. The wearer veritably "floated" into the room, and the eyes of every male could not keep anywhere else! A memory with a halo around it!

Ellen Melinoff, in What We Wore -- An Offbeat Social History of Women's Clothing, 1950 to 1980, printed solicited comments about the era. Some of them, regarding hoops, were very telling:

(pg 69) "There was a girl in my school--a real sosh--who always wore her hoopskirt with such aplomb. She'd sashay down the aisles between the desks (to sit with a boy! in the eighth grade!) without it once ever flipping up. Not even the school bus was her undoing like it was for the rest of us "mere mortals." And the ridge of her hoop never showed through her skirt either. Not showing the hoop line was like not having VPL today. She must have topped her hoop with layers of crinolines. She wore this very long and with real Capezios." [Ellen Ekman]

(pg 65) "In the fifth grade (1957), full skirts hit. The fuller, the better. So we wore not one, not two, but three or more petticoats, starched stiff. When that wasn't enough, we learned to wear a hoopskirt. I say learned because it took practice to learn to seat yourself without the hoop flying up in front of you. I remember my mother suggesting that I could wear just one petticoat. Couldn't I see how much more graceful it looked, wearing just one? Of course not. What was the point of wearing just one? The fuller, the better.." [Lyn Messner]

Fifties fashion designer Anne Forgarty, an icon of the era, was dubbed "Petticoat Queen" for her advocacy of the flared and bouffant skirt. In her book "Wife Dressing" (1959), she relates a story concerning her husband’s bout with these beautiful creations. She came home one night after a long day to find him sound asleep, his head pressed against a large mound of petticoats as a result of rolling over. Apparently, she had been sorting them earlier, and had left them on part of the large bed; he had fallen asleep on the other half. Upon hearing her, he awoke and greeted her, but only after exclaiming that he thought he had died and gone to heaven! For, when his eyes opened in the fog of sudden awakening, he found himself immersed in a cloud-like atmosphere, soft and delicate, and totally out of touch with reality. (Many present-day women think we are too!) I think we can all relate to that!

In conclusion, certain ladies, who, throughout The Fifties, very rarely could be found without their frou-frou, should be cited. These women understood the attractiveness of these wonderful undergarments, and how they enhanced their femininity. They were fortunate enough to live in a era where such attire was consider fashionable, but when existed many women who shunned crinolines and petticoats, preferring to wear their fuller skirts and dresses "sans petti."

So, a broad salute to Connie Stevens, June Allyson, Shelley Fabares, Grace Kelly, and Ann Sothern. They will live in our memories forever, symbols of what we all miss so much. In addition, a special honor goes to Wynona Judd, the contemporary country-and-western singer who never needed an excuse to wear her full crinolines on stage and elsewhere, whether considered fashionable at the time or not! A bright and shining star. Too bad her daughter (and duetist), Naomi Judd, chose not to follow in her foot-steps. A fallen star, in our book.



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